Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow…
As someone who generally feels that Mac is the least funny of the Paddy’s Pub players (unless he’s riffing with Charlie), the beauty of “Mac Day” was that it essentially shredded Mac into tiny pieces. Now, when I write “least funny,” I don’t mean “not funny.” Mac has the ability to shine, but given that Charlie is insane, Frank is insane and unscrupulous, Dennis is an egotistical pervert and Dee is a hot mess of profanity, Mac’s staunch Catholicism (getting the gist of the religion anyhow) just doesn’t compete on the same level. What is funny though is when Mac winds up (either subconsciously or not) in homoerotic situations. And “Mac Day” not only had a blast with that, it basically confirmed more or less that each one of Mac’s friends is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s gay.
“Mac’s gay.” “Yeah, he’s gay.” Each member of The Gang turning their internal suspicions into external certainties. And so went Mac’s day of celebrating all things Mac. The set up here was that each member has either had (or is getting) their own day where they get to force everyone else to do all the things they want to do (with no complaining allowed and only one stifling scream into a pillow per person). As we entered “Mac Day” a few minutes before the stroke of midnight, with Mac poised (erect) and ready to lecture his friends for hours about the evils of homosexuality, I (like the rest of The Gang) thought I was in for a trudge of an episode.
But then Country Mac showed up!
Played by Seann William Scott, Country Mac had the potential to be an even bigger idiot than Mac. With even more intense beliefs about religion and an even bigger ego. But Country Mac was a friendly, whimsical gay man who not only managed to win The Gang over with his easy-going, non-judgemental ways – but with his actual badassery! His ability to fight. His ability to jump from bridges. The way he always, no matter where he was, had a beer in his hand. “Where is he getting those beers? It’s like a super power.”
Hurting Mac even more than the unexpected progressiveness of his country cousin was the fact that Mac wimped out of every single “badass” scenario that presented itself. “That’s not badass, that’s dangerous” he said, when trying to downplay his cousin’s bridge dive. Or even “There’s nothing badass about breaking the law.” And so as the day went on, the rest of The Gang became more and more increasingly frustrated with Mac’s epic bulls*** cop-outs. And Country Mac getting them all stoned at the Planetarium didn’t help matters. “You know what I really hate? It’s Mac.”
Yes, stoned Dennis is the best Dennis.
Not that Always Sunny is a show that thrives on continuity (wasn’t it established that Mac couldn’t fight in “Hundred Dollar Baby?”), but I’m already having a hard time seeing Mac bounce back from this. Because after chickening out of a bridge jump video (claiming that he’ll draw the jump in during post) and being a killjoy at the Planetarium, Mac’s next item on the agenda was to have everyone non-ironically oil up a bunch of bodybuilders (“We’re gonna grease up these beefcakes”). Hours later, Mac suffered a roundhouse kick to the face in a karate tournament (that The Gang forced him to participate in) and then swiftly s*** his pants out of fear in the parking lot. Everyone was so repulsed by him at that point that they wanted to SWITCH MACS!
So the hilarious genius of “Mac Day” was taking all the things that usually grate about Mac’s character and obliterating him with them – causing Dennis, Dee, Charlie, and Frank to reach a Mac-Tipping Point in the process. I mean, Country Mac was able to actually demonstrate a successful ocular pat down, saving everyone from a potential knife attack in the process.
But, this being Always Sunny, we couldn’t exactly wrap things up with The Gang coming to a unanimous decision that would better their lives without it all coming crumbling down. Just moments after Country Mac agreed to become a permanent part of the group, he died. Shocking everyone back into apathy and cowardice. “You know what’s badass? Being alive.” Then it was bon voyage down the crapper for Country Mac’s ashes. Because Frank Day was upon us. And none shall be spared in its destructive path.
Despite the fact that “Mac Day” pretty much lumped everyone who wasn’t Mac into one Mac-hating side character, it was a ton of fun to watch Paddy’s security expert get systematically exposed, on his own special day, as a fraud.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler, IGN at mattfowler, and Facebook at Facebook.com/Showrenity.
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